Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts
by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat GemShares of Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE:LYG – Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company.
Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Lloyds Banking Group in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Lloyds Banking Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday.
Get Our Latest Analysis on Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Banking Group Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE LYG opened at $5.48 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $5.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.14. Lloyds Banking Group has a 12 month low of $3.50 and a 12 month high of $6.34. The stock has a market cap of $80.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.04, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.89.
Lloyds Banking Group (NYSE:LYG – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.01. Lloyds Banking Group had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 10.06%. The firm had revenue of $6.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.52 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Lloyds Banking Group will post 0.27 earnings per share for the current year.
Lloyds Banking Group Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a $0.134 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a yield of 490.0%. Lloyds Banking Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.48%.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LYG. J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lloyds Banking Group during the fourth quarter worth about $80,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 921,703 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,885,000 after acquiring an additional 7,570 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors raised its holdings in Lloyds Banking Group by 21.1% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 34,249 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $182,000 after acquiring an additional 5,974 shares in the last quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $78,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Lloyds Banking Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $93,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.15% of the company’s stock.
About Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Banking Group plc is a UK-based banking and financial services company that provides a broad range of retail, commercial and insurance products. Its principal consumer-facing brands include Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland, through which it offers current accounts, savings, mortgages, credit cards and personal loans. The group also delivers services to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and larger corporate clients, supplying business accounts, lending, payments and cash-management solutions.
In addition to core banking, Lloyds operates a significant wealth and insurance arm under the Scottish Widows brand, offering life insurance, pensions, investment and retirement planning products.